Swords and Mana, No More Humans
by CanadianBuckBeaver
Summary: Shirou isn't sure what happened to him. The last thing that he recalls is falling asleep in his bed. Now he is in a different world, one that looks like his, but if humans haven't lived on it for thousands of years. As he explores this new place he discovers that the very vessels that keep him alive will attract the robots to him, forcing him to fight if he wishes to go home. Alive


_Everything that lives is designed to end,_

 _We are perpetually trapped,_

 _In a never-ending spiral of life and death._

 _Is this curse? Or some kind of punishment?_

* * *

Shirou woke up with a start, his mana activated and burning. He groaned softly, clutching at his left shoulder, willing the pain to subside. His mana had never acted like this before, not since Rin and him had first done the mana transfer. It had stabilized rather quickly thanks to her perfect spell.

So why was it now? Cracking his eyes open, Shirou quickly took inventory of his body. He wasn't injured as far as he could see. No missing limbs, no blood. Always a good sign.

However…

Choosing to ignore the pain for now, Shirou looked around him, becoming increasingly more confused. His last memories were of going to bed, his head hitting the soft pillow and the blankets falling over him.

But this was definitely not his bed, or anywhere close to home.

Scrambling to his feet, he looked around, growing more and more desperate. Shirou was surrounded by buildings that would have scratched the sky, had they been standing. They were massive, smelling of old stone and iron, covered by moss, wildflowers, bushes and grass. Massive trees, trees the size of skyscrapers sprouted here and there, pushing through the concrete and asphalt. Parts of the massive highway flyover, the one that had been in construction when he had gone to bed, were now completely missing, exposing their slowly rusting metal beams. The parts that were there looked to be covered in pot holes, showered in debris. The town looked to be abandoned for hundreds of years, if not more.

But he had just laid down to sleep last night. This had to be a dream or a cruel joke. Or perhaps Rin had slipped something into his tea, trying to increase his mana? Or perhaps Archer had done something to him… or maybe it was all a bad trick of the mind.

Frantically he rubbed at his eyes. "Wake up, man, wake up…" he told himself. His dreams were always vivid, but he could feel himself rub his eyes. He could feel the pain when he pushed too far and saw dark stars obscure his vision. Shirou even pinched himself, willing his body to wake up from whatever fantasyland it had conjured. Rin would have laughed with disdain at his childish actions, he knew that he himself would as well, but, to his horror, he felt slight pain from the pinch. The skin turned red and white before returning to normal.

Well, that settled it.

This was no dream. Shirou was awake and somewhere that wasn't home.

Or maybe he was… Shirou brushed that thought aside. There was no way… that was absolutely implausible on so many levels. Yes Archer had somehow been able to loop back in time to become Rin's servant but he at least had never managed it. Quickly, he brushed off the grass and mud that had accumulated on him as he had slept. At least he had fallen asleep in his clothing for once. If he was just in his boxers….

Well, at least there was no one around to witness his embarrassment.

Shirou walked around the city, doing his best to remain calm. His ears were tuned, his eyes never staying still. The air was fresh even if it carried the slight undercurrent of must with it, much like a hike in a humid forest. He remembered his training. Be alert, be prepared for anything.

It was quiet, too quiet. As stereotypical as it was, Shirou was rather unnerved by the lack of sounds. There was no sound of cars, no sound of footsteps, none of the normal hustle that he was accustomed. All he could hear was the sound of the wind, of rustling grass, and the sound of far off animals. No sounds of anything remotely human. Shirou chose to stay calm, continuing to listen and watch for any sign of life. Archer himself had never told him anything like this. Yes, he was a mysterious and rather closed off version of himself to begin with, but he had even told Shirou about the deal he had made with Alaya, perhaps in an attempt to prevent Shirou from making that same mistake. Wouldn't it had made sense that Archer would have told him that one day he'll wake up in a completely different place with no one else around him? Yes, it would have sounded completely outrageous but, after everything else that they had went through, it no longer seemed too out worldly. Or perhaps, perhaps Archer had never experienced this. Perhaps this was something that would differentiate between the two of them? Waking up in some weird place, no clue where he was or how he got there? It would make sense that the timelines would differentiate in some way, they had made different choices and the world would have to react to it…

He froze at the slight sound of an idling engine in the distance.

Chuckling, he shook his head, looking to shake out any leftover anxiety. Of course this was just a prank. Archer had been looking to toughen him up ever since they had met each other, help 'prepare' him and the like. He probably just teleported the two of them onto another world and disguised it as an apocalyptic styled Earth. This was just the type of thing that that bastard would do.

Yet… there was a cold, sinking feeling in his stomach. One that just wouldn't go away. Add the curious state of his mana. Well, something was telling him not to run around the corner like he normally would have.

Carefully, silently, Shirou peered around the corner. Too late he tried to stifle the gasp that escaped his mouth.

He had been right. Those definitely weren't human noises.

Unless he had heard them before, he would have missed them and gone charging into what would have once been considered an ally. The robots, they must have once been silver and shiny when they were new, now rusty, dusty and blending perfectly with the scenery behind them, stared at him. Their eyes, optic sensors, seemed to stare emptily at him, their spherical heads cocking to the side, much like a dog. Their colours changed between yellow and green, slowly blinking to red. As he stared at them they began to make harsh, grinding noises to one another, their eyes never leaving him.

Were they trying to talk to one another? But machines couldn't communicate. Shirou stared at them, completely uncomprehending what he was seeing. How and why all floated in his head, muddling together in a collection of useless thoughts and orders.

But he never got a chance to ask them. The robots, seeming to make a decision among themselves, began to fire.

Shriou yelped and ducked around the building, dodging the hail of bullets that was coming his way. This wasn't good. He could hear them slowly moving, the crunch of grass and roots as they approached him.

Turning around, Shirou ran. He had to get them in a more open area, one where he could launch a counter attack if they chose to follow him. Those who chose the battleground, won the war, he remembered reading somewhere. And, on the other hand, on the slight chance that there were people around, survivors from whatever had occurred, he needed to keep them safe, protect them…

Defend….

Archer was right. This honour, this drive to protect and serve… It was truly written into his DNA.

At the sound of gunfire, Shirou ducked and dodged, launching himself around a nearby corner. The robots were pursing on their little tread 'feet', much like a tank. Glancing over his shoulder, he noted that they didn't seem to run very fast, he was already gaining ground on them. But their gunfire more than made up for their slight disadvantage. Bullets sang around him, clinking off of iron and stone…

And they just didn't stop.

Gritting his teeth, Shirou sprinted around another corner, attempting to get more distance between them. That would make them easier to lead to where he wanted them. Shirou was no inexperienced fighter. He had come across more than his fair share of guns and swords and various other weapons. His life had been threatened more times than he could count, his own blood had been spilled…

But, usually guns had to stop sometime and reload…

Didn't they?

There was one thing that was bothering Shirou. He still hadn't seen any sign of living human life. No housing, no undamaged roads, not even a fresh fire or path. Turning over to check on where his pursuers were, making sure that he continued to dodge their gunfire. If this was how they acted when he had turned the corner, he could only imagine what they had done to the others.

If he had money, he would be betting that these robots had done something to the humans, to the planet.

Jumping over a fallen log, Shirou chose to ignore the few familiar sights that he saw. He would concentrate on these robots first, and then try to determine what exactly was going on. Passing a cluster of buildings, a quick movement caught his eye. Twisting his head as he ran, his eyes scoured the place for whatever he had seen. But there was nothing, not even a trace of grass waving in the wind. So, his mind was already playing tricks on him. Not the best for when someone was trying to escape a handful of killer robots.

His feet slipped and stumbled, only to catch himself and leap to his feet, turning to face the robots. He was surrounded by concrete and steel, the trees dense outside of the old building.

This would do. No one else, if they were around, would be injured by stray bullets or his swords.

The robots advanced, still firing, without any sign of slowing. Their bullets struck the wall and the wood, allowing Shirou to gather his bearings for at least a moment. His eyes locked with each one, watching as they approached.

One single robot was missing was one that he immediately noticed. Perhaps some sort of strategy in their programming? Wait till he tired himself out and then one other, uninjured robot would attack from an unknown location? Or perhaps a sniper?

He decided that he wouldn't waste any time finding out.

His blue mana flashed up his arms, weaving in the ancient patterns, his swords slowly solidifying around him. He would make this place his stadium, his battle ground.

Grabbing his standard sword, he felt the cold steel fit perfectly in his hand. Like it had been made for him. The draw on his mana levels made him wince. Already he was feeling slightly fatigued.

He would need to wrap this up fast. No playing or toying with them this time.

The robots lumbered closer, their threads having problems with the uneven terrain. Smirking, Shirou taunted them. Looks like his instincts were right on the money again.

They won't see this coming.

Shirou let them struggle towards him for another moment or two, get them closer to his area of attack. If he could draw them in closer, he would be able to gather them in a smaller corner and attack them all at once, conserve his mana.

As the robots crossed the broken tile, Shirou gave his signature warrior shout. Leaping high into the air, he lofted his sword, letting the steel of his blade glint in the sunlight. Two smaller blades, as summoned by his mana, hovered beside him, defending him against the oncoming hail of bullets. The sound of bullets fueled his anger. He knew that these robots were the cause of the disappearance of humans, to why he was here.

They would pay dearly for their error.

He slammed the blade into the nearest robot's head, sparks flying, wires tiring. His smaller blades danced around him, protecting him from the other robots that came closer. Pulling his sword free of the destruction, Shirou brought his blade close to him before slashing out at the robot, damaging the head further. The optics of the robot flashed from green to yellow, before resettling on red again. Lifting its arm, it fired at him again. Jumping backwards, dodging more gunfire, Shirou grabbed another one of his swords, using it in tandem with the others, to further shield himself. Due to the restrictions that he had put on himself, he wouldn't be able to use his shield. That would use too much mana, tired him out too quickly.

But he still had the other robots to dispose of first.

His mana flowed through his body, singing through his veins and limbs, before he forced it to expel outside of his body. Thin threads of mana hovered around him, glinting and dancing before they found his weapons. Seizing them, they began to attack the other robots. Damaging them if they dared get too close.

Stepping forward while still moving his swords, Shirou began to advance on the robots. Advancing quickly, he sliced in an upward arc at the robot, aiming for what he considered their arms.

The attack worked perfectly.

The blade sliced through the robot's gun chamber like a knife through warm butter. His mana flared again, thin threads seizing the rest of the swords he had summoned and unsheathing them from the floor, flinging them hard and fast at the mob in front of him. Those sang through the robot's hydraulic cases, deeply scratching the metal, damaging them further.

Weakening them.

Taking a quick step forward, Shirou sliced the head of the robot from its shoulders. He only grinned with satisfaction as he watched the wires tear, metal fail. He knew that he could do this. The head fell to the ground with a loud metallic think, rolling a short distance away, the eyes flickering before dying completely. Only three more to go.

Collapsing backwards, his previous foe's body exploded in a small fireball and explosion of parts. Grunting, Shirou held up his hands and blade, shielding himself from the debris. He hadn't been expecting that. Guess he underestimated the machines.

He just prayed and hoped that it wouldn't cost him his life.

Too late he noticed a robot coming up from behind him, another, larger gun clicking into place. Aiming straight for him.

Shirou stared at the gun in sick fascination, time slowing as he watched. He saw the dim shimmer of metal as the bullet slowly loaded into the chamber. He could see the mechanisms of the gun depress, the bullet traveling the length of the chamber…

Towards him.

Gathering his wits, Shirou twisted in midair, catching the bullet with the broad blade.

Spinning to see his attacker, he was met with a view that he didn't expect.

The robot, the one that was just about to kill him, slowly fell to the ground. Its body had been cleaved in half in a neat diagonal stroke, almost as if someone had taken a ruler and carefully divided the machine before cutting it. Wires sparked and curled, metal frayed around the slice. The remains slowly sank to the ground, metal pinging sharply against stone before it too exploded.

Shirou wasn't worried about fire or the heat of the machine though. He was staring through the fire, his mouth dropping open, staring at the woman behind them.

The woman reminded him of his own dear Saber at first glance. Perhaps she was more like a Gothic and dark Saber. She gripped a comically large sword, far larger than any that he had seen outside any anime. The sword was almost twice the size of her, covered in little nicks and scratches, well-worn. This was probably not the first robot that she had destroyed. Her blonde, almost white hair weaved with the force of the explosion, the heat seeming to not affect her in the slightest. Unlike Saber though, she bite Thigh-high boots, the ones with the dangerous heels on them, served as both her boots and pants with what appeared to be lacy garters under those to prevent the hard material from rubbing against her skin. She was dressed in a black, low-rise dress, one that flared behind her. Intricate shapes decorated the otherwise simple robe, lace in her front and other cut-outs in her back. Her clothing was tight, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Gripping her sword tight to her body, she adjusted her weight in the boots , steading herself. "Get out of the way of my attack," she ordered, voice cold and calculating. Before Shirou could argue, or at least question what exactly she had meant by that, the mysterious woman sprang forward again.

Her motions were a blur as she attacked the next robot. The sword sang through the air, meeting the next robot with a mighty clash of sparks. Stumbling back, the robot refocused its ocular lenses on her, the gun adjusting to be aimed directly at her chest.

At her heart.

Giving a shout, Shirou summoned his mana again, the swords closest to her hovering in front of her for just a moment, spinning lazily and deflecting the bullets oncoming bullets. The woman was taken back for just a second but she did not look back. Instead she carried on with her attack, advancing towards the robot, parrying and attacking, slashing at the increasingly weakened body.

Already panting, Shirou released some of the swords that he had summoned to this reality. This fight was taking more mana out of him than he had originally calculated. And, with the sudden assistance, he didn't need as many weapons as he intended. Keeping one of the larger swords gripped in his hands, he sprang into the fight. Darting behind her, he parried the next round of bullets from another robot, protecting her back. "Back to back!" he shouted to her, taking a quick step forward and jabbing at one of the robots.

The woman seemed not to hear him. In front of his eyes she sprang high into the air, higher than what was humanly possible, stabbing the next robot through the head. The robot shuddered, eyes flickering on and off before it too resigned itself to its fate.

One more to go.

Running towards the remaining robot, Shirou slashed at the machine. The robot stumbled backwards, gun failing. The woman shot forward then, moving surprisingly quick in her high boots. Her sword cut through the robot, shreds of debris flying everywhere.

Finally… finally the battle was done.

Falling backwards, Shirou sat, hard, on his rump. He groaned, shaking his head, trying to clear the weariness that threatened to overtake him. He used up far too much mana. What was it that Archer had always said? Don't go into a battle overconfident?

Well, he had certainly fucked that one up.

The woman turned to face him, cocking her head to the side to look at him. To his surprise, he realized that she wore a black blindfold over her eyes. She had fought that battle blind? How? "Hey… I really appreciate you coming to my aide… thank you." he panted softly. If Rin or the others could see him now, he'd be on heavy training until his death.

"It was my pleasure." The woman said, releasing her sword. As if by magic, the sword floated to her back, hovering there. Well, that certainly wasn't normal. Add in her athletic moves and her abilities, and she certainly wasn't human? Perhaps this was another guardian? Though, neither Saber or Archer, heck, not even Lancer had ever described a guardian such as her.

She raised her right hand, palm flat to chest as she faced him. "Glory to mankind," she told him.

Shirou froze, staring up at her in shock. Was this some sort of code word?

The woman stared at him, her hand slowly lowering and clenching into a slight fist. He could just see the blindfold move, like she was furrowing her brows… this wasn't good. "Scan." She barked, startling Shirou.

A small, floating robot hovered in front of him. This robot she did not attack and seemed to order around… it must be an ally of hers. "Scanning," it reported back to her, a laser beam sweeping up and down Shirou's body.

He gulped, not daring to move as it eyed him, scanned him. What was it looking for? What did they want?

Were they going to attack him? His mana was far too low to sustain any more damage or to be used anymore. Besides, even if he was fully powered, he wouldn't stand a chance against this warrior anyways. She was too strong.

"Scan completed. Heartrate detected." The machine told the woman. "Human confirmed."

The woman turned away from her machine, staring down at Shirou. Just for a moment she seemed to tremble, her entire body shaking. But just as fast as the shaking started, it stopped. Heel clicking against tile, she took a step towards him again, this time offering her hand to him. "Welcome home, human," she told him. "My commander will have much to report to you."

"Human… commander?" he questioned, pausing before he took her outstretched hand.

"Indeed." With superhuman strength, the woman pulled him to his feet, gripping his forearm. "when we return to base we can find some old human downloads as to not waste any time with the unimportant details…"

"I don't understand!" Shirou began to sputter, wonder giving way to panic. "I... I just woke up here. I have no memory of anything that happened! I don't know where I am, what year it is….

"Please… I need to go home…"

The woman stared at him. She looked blank, rather confused with his outburst.

It was the pod that spoke next. "9S is heading this way. Recommended action is to return to base, inform the commander of the human."

"Yes… I believe you that would be… logical." The woman turned, following the small pod as it led the way out of the small opening. Shirou tried to ignore the way the fabric followed her hips, swaying as she walked. Pausing, the woman turned to Shirou. "Follow me, human," she told him. "Do not linger in this area. If my pod can detect your heartbeat, than it is rather likely that the alien's robots can too, and there are robots of higher level surrounding this area. Your heartbeat and breathing is probably what drew them to you in the first place."

Shirou did not want to find out if he had the mana or energy for another fight with more robots, especially if there was the threat of stronger foes. He followed her quickly, the long grass bending underfoot. "But what about your heartbeat?" he asked, walking shoulder to shoulder with her.

"I do not have a heart or anything that you humans would use to define me as a 'living' component," she told him. "I am a fighting class robot, YoRHa Number. 2 Model B, 2B for short. Stay by my side. Humans have not set foot on Earth for over five thousand years. I do not want to be the YoRHa who lost the last known human."

"You're a robot?!"


End file.
